Thune: President Trump and Senate Republicans Will Restore American Strength

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WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke on the Senate floor about President Biden's disastrous foreign policy record and the incoming Trump administration's determination to reverse course. Thune warned our adversaries and reassured our allies that four years of weakness on the world stage is coming to an end.

Thune's remarks below (as delivered):

"Mr. President, the past four years have been marked by increasing instability on the world stage.

"Over the course of the Biden administration, we've seen an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

"China flexing its power in the Indo-Pacific - and beyond - and increasingly threatening the Philippines and Taiwan.

"Iran continuing to foment terror in the Middle East.

"The worst terror attack in Israel's history.

"And the list goes on.

"And while the Biden administration cannot be held solely responsible for all of these events, the lack of clear American leadership under President Biden has undoubtedly contributed to the unrest that we've seen internationally.

"The president often seems incapable of staking out a firm policy position.

"Again and again, he seems to want to have things both ways, whether he's ordering attacks on Iran-backed terrorists while simultaneously declaring his unwillingness to escalate or drawing red lines for Israel while proclaiming U.S. support.

"Or take the war in Ukraine, where President Biden has advocated for the U.S. providing defense assistance while simultaneously slow-walking approval for critical combat resources - which has unquestionably contributed to the present situation.

"I don't know whether the president is trying to keep all his interest groups happy or is simply afraid to fully commit, but his indecisiveness telegraphs weakness to our enemies and allies alike.

"Just as his disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan did.

"Or his policy toward Iran.

"The Biden administration began relations with Iran on a note of appeasement, with an attempt to reinstate the Obama administration's flawed nuclear deal, and then followed that up by unfreezing $6 billion in Iranian assets as part of a deal to free American prisoners.

"Thankfully, the administration ultimately refroze those funds in the wake of Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack.

"But unfreezing them in the first place was a serious mistake.

"As were things like the Biden administration's decision to restart funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, despite long-held suspicions - since confirmed - that there were UNRWA staffers with ties to Islamist militant groups.

"These types of decisions convey a message to our adversaries - a lack of firm resolve, and a willingness to compromise and accommodate.

"And in the face of this kind of message, it's little wonder that terrorists throughout the Middle East have been emboldened, and have been attacking not just our ally Israel but American assets - and American soldiers - in the region.

"And I have to wonder whether bodies like the International Criminal Court - which recently attempted to put Israel leaders - Israeli leaders, I should say - in the same class as Hamas terrorists by unlawfully issuing warrants for their arrest - have also been emboldened by the Biden administration's waffling.

"Mr. President, as China flexes its muscle, Iran continues its proxy war on Israel, and North Korean soldiers join Russia's war on Ukraine, it's time for a return to clear American leadership on the world stage.

"And that doesn't mean an America that intervenes in every conflict or dictates terms to everyone.

"We neither can nor should attempt to become the world's policeman.

"But it does mean an America that speaks clearly and doesn't equivocate.

"That condemns evil and doesn't accommodate it.

"And an America that projects - and can deliver - strength. The kind of strength that will make our adversaries think twice before tangling with us or our allies.

"President Trump has made an excellent choice for secretary of state with our colleague Marco Rubio.

"He is one of our strongest and clearest voices on national security, and between him and President Trump - and other future members of the Trump administration - America's adversaries should be on notice.

"I think there's already been something of a shift in the air.

"And I am hopeful that in the weeks to come we will finally see movement on freeing the remaining Americans and other hostages who were captured by Hamas in its October 7, 2023, attack.

"It is incredible that these individuals are facing their second - second - winter in Gaza.

"And President Trump's statement Monday about his commitment to freeing these hostages immediately should be a warning to Hamas that the United States will no longer tolerate the captivity of her citizens.

"Mr. President, the last few years have shown us what a world without clear American leadership looks like.

"I am confident that the next four years will show us what the world looks like with it.

"Mr. President, I yield the floor."

Permalink: https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2024/12/thune-president-trump-and-senate-republicans-will-restore-american-strength